July - How I Wasted My Summer VacationAugust - Manga and AmerimangaSeptember - Flights of FantasyOctober - Creatures of the ShadowsNovember - In Sprite of it AllDecember - Wheeee STUFF! (Or, the Joys of Being a Consumer Whore)

The deadline for submissions is June 25th. I may extend this to the 27th due to all the login troubles I've had (and therefore not being able to properly reply to queries). However, if you need the extra time, let me know in advance, as I need to have time to proofread submissions and confirm final copies before putting them up for public consumption.

Please e-mail me the submissions as either a text file, microsoft word document, or .jpg (in the case of comics).

For comics, there is a width restriction to 600 pixels. If your comic is larger, either re-size it or contact me to see what can be done to solve the problem.

If you are writing text and certain of your words are emphasized, you are welcome to add the bold/italic/etc tags; however, if you send it as a Word document, I can add them in.

The definition of sustainable is something that can be kept up indefinitely.

Currently, the Quack is not sustainable.

We need help!

As it stands, there are two people doing regular work - myself and Kreedance. Vince submits his obligatory monthly column, and then if I ask nicely people send along comics or the occasional opinion piece. But the fact remains, I have to go out and ask. And I'm tired of last-minute scrambles when I have other things in my life, like gearing up to go back to school, a novel to edit for publication, and a wedding to plan.

At the rate we're going, I'm going to have a mental breakdown in … oh, the next five minutes.

I don't know how many times I've stressed that this is a community project, not just Eleika's Cool DD Mag. It's EVERYONE'S Cool DD Mag. If people want this to continue, I'm going to need some serious contributions. (Yes, I'm looking at you.)

Believe it or not, you can be a regular contributor - just send something in once a month!

This could be:- a review- a tutorial- a comic- cover art

We need these things most of all. I've got the interviews covered, and we have opinion pieces up the ying yang, but if you have something else you don't think fits, send it to me anyway and we'll probably be able to squeeze it in.

One of the great things about our switch to a weekly format is that we can accept submissions at any time during the month. I recommend you get it to me earlier than that, but last minute submissions will be accepted. And - and and and - we always welcome early submissions. (Yes, we'll even take your Halloween and Christmas stuff now.)

OK, /rant. This Sunday marks the start of our August issue: Manga and Amerimanga. As of now, you can look forward to a very spartan beginning … but hopefully, with your help, we can change that.

Earlier this evening, we decided on a “hiatus” for the Quack, based on two simple facts: 1) no one's contributing and 2) I am this close to losing it. Now, in the webcomics world, that word tends to foreshadow the death of a comic. In our case, it was no different. Three hours later, we gave up completely.

I don't know what else to say; I already said that this wasn't sustainable. I'm hurt and angry, because when I re-started this e-zine, it was with the promises of several people that I would have a team of regular contributors interested in … well, contributing regularly. Without me having to pound on doors, demanding they produce. Instead, I was left with last minute scrambles as I ran around, begging for articles and art; sleep deprivation and stress; and a counsellor, friends, and family all begging me to give it up for the sake of my health.

The “phoenix” theme still runs rampant through our midst, however, so stay tuned. Something new is coming out of this, but it won't be the Quack.

oh my…I'm so sorry that no one contributed. I only recently came back to the community and didn't see this until it was too late.

This is really sad for our community, because it was a really nice thing to have around. I hope that someday in the future we can have something like it again and next time people keep their promises. If you ever get something going again I will be sure to volunteer (and stick to my promises).

Get better, mental sanity is far too underrated, and stress is undeniably a problem. :) *Sending you well wishes*

Just remember this sort of thing happens all the time with creative endeavors, so donâ€™t take it personally. Itâ€™s very hard to get others to contribute to a project unless it already has a lot of backing (catch 22).

If I had my way (ie a more robust newspost system) the Quack would have been integrated with the main page… things could be put into different boxes or sorted or whatnot. I suppose it isn't too late for that kind of thing, as long as the news system changes at some point.

I'm sorry but this really pisses me off. I sent in art for August, and I requested more info on putting together a Tutorial in July so I could have it ready by August! To say there was no one contributeing irks me to no end. I still havent gotten any more info on what format to put my Tutorial in, so naturally ya'll didnt recieve it. I would have done an article as well had you requested.

DD just doesnt seem the same as it used to. Granted no one talked to me then, either. It woulda been nice had someone actually got back to me about the tutorial. I'm new at things, but I woulda done my best.

Edit: And judging from theRedSun's post I wasnt the only one that didnt get any more information after being initially contacted, granted I came to you, no one asked me anything. Perhaps THAT is why it FAILED. Lack of communication with those ment to contribute!

Neilak20I'm sorry but this really pisses me off. I sent in art for August, and I requested more info on putting together a Tutorial in July so I could have it ready by August! To say there was no one contributeing irks me to no end

I also sent in a few things ready for August and volunteered to do a regular thing as well. I was going to offer a weekly story (All one story, but the readers get one chapter per issue until the end, then a new one is started)

Neilak20I'm sorry but this really pisses me off. I sent in art for August, and I requested more info on putting together a Tutorial in July so I could have it ready by August! To say there was no one contributeing irks me to no end

I also sent in a few things ready for August and volunteered to do a regular thing as well. I was going to offer a weekly story (All one story, but the readers get one chapter per issue until the end, then a new one is started)

So, it wasnt limited to 2 people not getting responses. I think the real reason it collapsed was the management of the Ezine. I'm not suggesting I could do a better job, Cause I know I cant. DD does indeed need some more community projects, but I think that if the people running them dont truely care about keeping them going and communicating with the COMMUNITY then they wont succeed either.

DD does indeed need some more community projects, but I think that if the people running them dont truely care about keeping them going and communicating with the COMMUNITY then they wont succeed either.

Well, Fightsplosion has only 4 entry spots left to fill! (He said, totally communicating with the community while also partially hijacking a thread)

If people want to do community things, FS is the current horse to back. 8)

For those of you bitching about quality, you think it sucked? Well, that was all we had. I tried to get more people to submit. If you were that concerned with quality, if you thought you could do better, why didn't you send something yourself? Yes, Kennedy, I'm looking at you. Yes everyone else, I'm not just looking at Kennedy.

I tried to garner interest. Half the time I wound up having to actively e-mail people begging for submissions, which is annoying to everyone involved. And then I wound up emotionally and mentally spent. There is only so much I can do alone, and for the last time, I SAID AT THE START THAT I COULD NOT DO IT BY MYSELF.

To Neilak - Don't talk about what you don't know, and don't you DARE say I didn't care. I cared about the Quack when I was the only one doing anything about it. I cared and it hurt me to kill it, but it was either the Quack or me. As for your reply? I was away on vacation for the last week of July. By the time I had my life back under control (because naturally when one goes away for a week, three weeks' work greet one upon one's return), the Quack was dead. And by that point I was so overwhelmed and stressed (so much for the vacation) that I didn't even know who I replied to, and it was pointless to tell you what format we needed when the Quack wasn't going to go on anyway.

I was grateful for your submission, don't get me wrong, but you and AussieKid were the only ones who sent me anything, and we can't produce an issue on two comics. As for AussieKid's offer, it came hours after the Quack died. Again appreciated, but too late to save it.

Hearing this sort of stuff makes me sick at my stomach. I did pour my heart and soul into it, and it was meant to be a part of the Duck as Skoolmunkee suggests. But no, everyone just wrote it off.

And then they have the balls to say I didn't reply to them, and that I didn't care?

All I'm going to say is that it's not unusual that webcomic community projects die. It sucks that it didn't work out but I wish all the best to Eleika with her new project. She piloted the thing the best she could and if she was stressing out about it, then I much rather she have a piece of mind then work herself to death over a zine.

I'm not too interested in blame. Things like this happen all the time and blame is counterproductive. The thread had been open for a while and I trust everyone had their say on this subject. Hence the lock.

If you're totally unsatisfied with what has happened, I geniunely welcome you to try your hands at a zine. I'll try to offer the same kind of exposure I tried giving The Quack. If you're totally unsatisfied but you don't want to do something about it, then I'm afraid you missed your chance to say something.